The Green Bay Packers’ kicking battle is coming down to the final days.
Greg Joseph boosted his chances of taking the starting job from Anders Carlson by hitting a 55-yard field goal and a 36-yard field goal in Saturday’s game. The Packers won 30-7 against the Baltimore Ravens in a preseason finale where most of the key players for both teams were resting.
Carlson made a 54-yard kick in the first quarter but missed a 32-yard attempt later in the game.
“We’ll wait and see,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said about the kicking competition after the game.
Following Carlson’s struggles last season, the Packers brought in Joseph to compete. Joseph has previously played for the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Minnesota Vikings.
“I’ve controlled what I can control,” Joseph said. “Anything beyond that is out of my hands.”
Both teams rested their top players to keep them healthy for the regular season. The Ravens had some misfortune with running back Owen Wright breaking his foot and center Nick Samac being carted off the field.
Samac, a rookie from Michigan State, had been working with the first team while Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum deals with a neck issue.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he is confident that Linderbaum and tight end Mark Andrews, who was injured in a car accident last week, will be ready for the regular season.
With most starters not playing, this last preseason game gave a chance for players trying to make the team. NFL teams must cut their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday.
Green Bay’s Arron Mosby made a strong case for himself by getting a strip-sack that led to a touchdown and intercepting a pass on a back-to-back series.
Kristian Welch also intercepted a pass for the second week in a row. Ellis Merriweather, Nate McCrary, and Emanuel Wilson combined for 190 rushing yards.
The Packers might need one of these running backs to step up early since AJ Dillon is dealing with a stinger and rookie MarShawn Lloyd has a hamstring injury. This leaves their availability uncertain for the start of the season.
In the battle to back up Green Bay’s starting quarterback Jordan Love, Sean Clifford was 6 of 14 for 53 yards with a touchdown to Malik Heath. Rookie Michael Pratt, a seventh-round pick, was 8 of 12 for 80 yards with a touchdown to Bo Melton and also had a pass intercepted by Baltimore’s Trenton Simpson.
“I think it’s similar to the kicking competition in terms of there were some really good moments and then there were some things we absolutely have to do better, and then we’ll evaluate everything that’s out there for us,” LaFleur said.
With MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson resting, Baltimore’s Josh Johnson was 5 of 7 for 71 yards with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Tylan Wallace. Rookie Devin Leary, a sixth-round pick, went 6 of 13 for 34 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.
Baltimore used some players who might start on an offensive line that has seen a lot of changes, with Andrew Vorhees at left guard, Daniel Faalele at right guard, and Roger Rosengarten at right tackle.
The Ravens lost guards Kevin Zeitler to the Detroit Lions and John Simpson to the New York Jets in free agency, and they also traded right tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets.
Baltimore also started rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins, a first-round pick who had hurt his shoulder in Baltimore’s preseason opener and didn’t play against the Atlanta Falcons last week.
“He’s had a great camp,” Harbaugh said. “He’s definitely everything we thought he was. Not that he can’t get better, because he can and I’m sure he will, because he works at it. He’s going to be a big part of our team this year.”
But the most impressive plays came from players fighting for the final roster spots.
Mosby, who has only three NFL games under his belt from Carolina in 2022, made a big impact by sacking Leary and causing a fumble. Anthony Johnson Jr. picked up the fumble at the Baltimore 24-yard line and ran it into the end zone.
On Baltimore’s next drive, Mosby intercepted a pass from Leary.
Now he’s waiting to see if he did enough to make the team.
“You never know how these 72 hours go,” Mosby said. “If it’s here or somewhere else, you’ve always got to be ready.”
